Establishing a High Resolution Framework for Age Determination

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Anchoring events in accurate chronological timeframes is of the utmost importance in answering questions about the past. Scientific developments in the field of radiocarbon dating have led to what is being called the "third radiocarbon revolution." These new methods permit archaeologists to construct more detailed and accurate chronologies than have previously been possible, often at the decadal scale or less. These more accurate chronologies, in turn, allow researchers to better understand the pace and timing of key cultural developments and turning points in prehistoric societies. These developments have been pivotal in revising understandings of European archaeology, but similar applications to large-scale chronology-building have lagged behind in North America. In this project, Dr. Jennifer Birch (University of Georgia) and Dr. Sturt Manning (Cornell University) will construct for the first time a high-precision radiocarbon (14C) chronology for select Northern Iroquoian site relocation sequences in Ontario and New York State. The methods employed include (a) Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) dating of short-lived organic material from select proveniences at 42 Iroquoian village sites and (b) sophisticated Bayesian Chronological Modeling of those dates - integrating archaeological, historical and radiocarbon information. The project will provide training for graduate students, including workshops on chronological modelling and Iroquoian archaeology at the University of Georgia and Cornell.The significance of this project represents nothing less than the potential redefinition of the Northern Iroquoian archaeological chronology. A pilot study by Birch and Manning suggested that in one part of Northern Iroquoia, the existing ceramic chronology misplaced sites in time by as many as 50-100 years. This work focusses on the centuries which preceded and followed the first instances of direct European contact in the Northeast and has significant implications for the study of the timing and effects of pre- and post-contact cultural transformations. Understanding how the lived experiences of individuals and communities articulate with the broad sweep of history is a key theoretical interest in archaeology. The refined, independent chronology produced by this project will permit enhanced understanding of the development of Iroquoian nations and confederacies, the timing and directionality of conflict, and the introduction of European trade goods, as well as the interplay between these key societal transformations.